Pabriks: an even greater UGF dominance would slow down Latvia’s development

Artis Pabriks/flickr.com.

If the Union of Greens and Farmers (UGF) gains an even greater presence in the upcoming Saeima elections, Latvia’s continued development would suffer, said member of the European Parliament Artis Pabriks in an interview to 900 seconds programme of LNT.

He said that Unity should start in elections together with pro-European and pro-Latvian parties. If Unity starts in elections alone, Pabriks said he does not expect the party’s chances to enter the Saeima to be particularly promising.

According to the politician, if balance changes in favour of UGF, sooner or later it will lead to a one-sided policy for Latvia. «UGF has never had any luck with active politics. The party tends to lean towards a more passive, conservative and slow approach. This is not the way for Latvia to make it off third place among Baltic States,» said Pabriks. He also admits that UGF has always been Unity’s cooperation partner. Formation of the government in Latvia would not have been possible without this party.

Looking towards Latvia’s future, if the coalition in the parliament ends up being formed by Harmony and UGF, Pabriks mentioned that this kind of scenario is the last thing Latvia would need for its centenary. This would mean the same mentality Latvia had in the ‘90s, with no acknowledgement of progress achieved by the country in the 21st century, said Pabriks.